the brothers crow

Texting in Japan is kind of a big deal. That is, to say, that it’s analogous to actually talking on the phone in America. If you talk as much on your cell phone as you do in America, you’re going to end up paying a ridiculous amount of money. Which isn’t to say that I don’t already pay a ridiculous amount of money for my phone—Docomo, my provider, has a reputation for being expensive, although they do have better phones and cell reception than Softbank or AU.

Of course, I was feeling particularly cheap when I signed up, so I got a free phone instead of a newer one. But this baby is still pretty cool, if you ask me.

I don’t do it often, but every now and then I check my old text messages. The sheer quantity of texts I’ve sent and received since August is frightening to me, though I imagine it’s nothing for other people out there. What I find especially fascinating, though, is that my grammar and spelling haven’t suffered at all. I was half-expecting texting to turn me into some gibbering, moronic, acronym-spouting hipster, but all my messages still seem to contain proper spelling and punctuation. Even capitalization! About the only difference is that I drop periods more frequently, and I rationalize that by thinking that short sentences can seem more serious and laconic with periods. Dropping them makes it feel a little friendlier and more akin to an actual conversation.

Looking back, this is a lot like my initial concerns when I first started using AIM. I should have known better than to think a new medium would trump my stupid, stubborn love of decent English.

—

This morning, at 7 AM, I received a text from my friend Brian in America. He told me that Heath Ledger is dead. Now, I don’t normally care too much about dead celebrities outside of generic sympathy for a lost life, but this one really caught me off guard. I’ve been pretty excited about the new Batman movie coming out next summer (there was a week in which I watched the HD trailer at least once a day), and this new Joker really intrigued me.

To tell the truth, though, I really didn’t think about who Heath Ledger was though. The name sounded familiar, but the character from the trailer was unlike any I had seen in a long time. So, after hearing about his death today, I looked up his previous roles on IMDB.

He was in A Knight’s Tale! He was the main character! How did I not know this? I love this movie! It’s so cheesy, so ridiculous, but I absolutely adored the premise. Jousting with rock music, crowd chanting, and pre-joust introductions on the level of Vegas’ best heavyweight title fights? This movie made me seriously consider the viability of jousting as a modern sport.

Oh, and he was in the gay cowboy movie too, which was probably a little more famous and critically acclaimed. I can’t speak on that since I never saw it, but I did hear it was quite good. For me, he’ll always be remembered for A Knight’s Tale, at least until The Dark Knight comes out and blows my mind.

Courtesy of IMDB’s quote page:

Chaucer: My lords, my ladies, and everybody else here not sitting on a cushion!
[crowd roars]
Chaucer: Today… today, you find yourselves equals.
[crowd roars]
Chaucer: For you are all equally blessed. For I have the pride, the privilege, nay, the pleasure of introducing to you to a knight, sired by knights. A knight who can trace his lineage back beyond Charlemagne. I first met him atop a mountain near Jerusalem, praying to God, asking his forgiveness for the Saracen blood spilt by his sword. Next, he amazed me still further in Italy when he saved a fatherless beauty from the would-be ravishing of her dreadful Turkish uncle.
[crowd, boo]
Chaucer: In Greece he spent a year in silence just to better understand the sound of a whisper. And so without further gilding the lily and with no more ado, I give to you, the seeker of serenity, the protector of Italian virginity, the enforcer of our Lord God, the one, the only, Sir Ulllrrrich von Lichtenstein!
[crowd roars]
Chaucer: Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week.

Rest in Peace, Sir Ulrich.